Spellbinding opera to bring a trio of anticipated company debuts
On April 28, 2023, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will open Richard Strauss’s erotic psychodrama Salome, the final opera in the company’s bold 2022-23 season. The production, making its U.S. premiere, will feature important company debuts from Ukrainian-Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, Spanish director Francisco Negrin, and, in the title role, soprano Laura Wilde.
Based on Oscar Wilde’s 1891 play, the gripping, scandalous one-act opera retells the biblical story of the disturbed princess Salome, who falls in love with Jokanaan (also known as John the Baptist). When he rejects her advances, she performs the infamous and seductive Dance of the Seven Veils for her stepfather, King Herod, in exchange for John’s head.
Wilde—who recently triumphed in Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera—will take on the challenging title role alongside an extraordinary cast that includes bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as Jokanaan, tenor Chad Shelton as Herod, and soprano Karita Mattila as Herodias. Wilson will be taking the podium following an international tour with the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, which she founded in 2022.
A co-production of Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía of Valencia, the opera runs for one hour and 47 minutes with no intermission. It is sung in German with projected English translation.
Who: The cast of Salome includes soprano Laura Wilde as Salome, bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as Jokannan, tenor Chad Shelton as Herod, and soprano Karita Mattila as Herodias. Francisco Negrin directs, and Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts.
When: Friday, April 28, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 30, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 12, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave.
Tariff: Tickets range from $20 to $210. For more information and to buy tickets, visit HGO.org or call the Box Office at 713-228-6737.
Link to Salome photos from HGO’s 2010 production of the opera here.
Photo caption: Photos by Tato Baeza, Courtesy Houston Grand Opera.
